Immigrating to the UK

I deleted it because I realised you had an expensive home so would have to have some education and not be a minimum wage earner in Ireland. We posted almost at the same time.

However, please research "Official Emigration from SA" if you have investments other than immovable property. You may have to pay exit tax and open a Blocked Account with your bank to receive your rental income.
 
I also thought I would return to retire in SA. After 10+ years living outside of SA, SA is now at the bottom of my list. Below Pakistan
 
zippy said:
I also thought I would return to retire in SA. After 10+ years living outside of SA, SA is now at the bottom of my list. Below Pakistan
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Same. The plan was “to pay off the house” and come back. Once out there one realizes that the world is a terribly interesting place.
 
zippy said:
I also thought I would return to retire in SA. After 10+ years living outside of SA, SA is now at the bottom of my list. Below Pakistan
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Have you added Syria to the list of possibilities? ;)

But yes, we felt the same for the first 5-10 years, now it’s not on our list at all.
 
Same here. The wife and I had spoken about it, but SA is simply deteriorating too rapidly to ever be an option again. Living outside of SA and looking in gives you a very different perspective. We still have loads of friends and family back home, but hearing about their day-to-day struggles is becoming depressing now. Unless you're extremely wealthy, or self-employed, in SA, you're just surviving most of the time. And that's no way to live - not when there are so many better opportunities around the world.
 
Another agreement for the above. I left SA 6 years ago and apart from going back every few years to visit my parents have no plans to ever move back/retire there.
I normally go back every 2 years and each time I go back I think how the hell do you poor guys survive there. Costs are going through the roof and even converting GBP to ZAR its still expensive!
 
Thanks for all the first hand feedback.

We are leaning towards selling both properties and if we do decide to retire here in the future we can always buy a property at that time.

My rental property will be sold to my current tenant provided he can get finance by the end of January. If not, it will go on the market.

I just posted my primary residence on the FNB app for R2.4m. Will see what the response is like before listing it on other platforms. Sale is not urgent yet as we only see us moving over by the middle of the year.
 
Some questions for those already in the UK. What would my wife need when she gets there? She's a British citizen who has not been back since she was 4.

1. Drivers licence. I know that she can use her SA drivers licence and can apply for her UK one after 12 months.

2. Open a UK bank account. We are currently with FNB and not sure which bank to go with. Really don't care about rewards but must be a decent account. Credit card and overdraft will only be considered in the future and not needed now. Leaning towards the bigger banks like HSBC, barklays, Citi, etc.

3. Register for national insurance. I need to familiarise myself with UK personal tax laws and how to submit tax returns there. I have worked on the HMRC platform years ago for a client who had a Uk company. I am a tax practitioner here and not sure how their oblong tax submissions compared to SARS efiling.

4. Not sure exactly how NHI works and how she would be able to access medical services should she need it.

5. Cellphone. She has an O2 sim from her recent trip that gives her 5gb for £15. Is this a good service provider or should I look at some of the other operators like EE and Vodafone?

6. Anything else we need to consider after she gets there?

Earliest possible date that she will be going over would be mid April as she has to give 3 months notice at her current employer. I might accompany her on a visitor visa but more than likely she will be going over alone while I toe up loose ends this side.

Also looking at possible places to stay in and around Dartford. Any input on the area would be appreciated.
 
signates said:
Some questions for those already in the UK. What would my wife need when she gets there? She's a British citizen who has not been back since she was 4.

1. Drivers licence. I know that she can use her SA drivers licence and can apply for her UK one after 12 months.

2. Open a UK bank account. We are currently with FNB and not sure which bank to go with. Really don't care about rewards but must be a decent account. Credit card and overdraft will only be considered in the future and not needed now. Leaning towards the bigger banks like HSBC, barklays, Citi, etc.

3. Register for national insurance. I need to familiarise myself with UK personal tax laws and how to submit tax returns there. I have worked on the HMRC platform years ago for a client who had a Uk company. I am a tax practitioner here and not sure how their oblong tax submissions compared to SARS efiling.

4. Not sure exactly how NHI works and how she would be able to access medical services should she need it.

5. Cellphone. She has an O2 sim from her recent trip that gives her 5gb for £15. Is this a good service provider or should I look at some of the other operators like EE and Vodafone?

6. Anything else we need to consider after she gets there?

Earliest possible date that she will be going over would be mid April as she has to give 3 months notice at her current employer. I might accompany her on a visitor visa but more than likely she will be going over alone while I toe up loose ends this side.

Also looking at possible places to stay in and around Dartford. Any input on the area would be appreciated.
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1. She can exchange her SA licence for a UK licence after becoming a resident (anyone in the UK for longer than 6 months is one).

2. This can be very, very difficult. Mainly caused through the UK being the centre of most of Europe's money-laundering. It really depends on which bank you try on the day. I got lucky with Lloyds after trying every high street bank - others got lucky with HSBC. But if she has a UK passport, things may be different. Ask all the questions when she makes the appointment to apply (Yes, you have to do that at most banks). May be more full of **** if you're on an SA passport (Lloyds previously only needed to see your passport and visa to open one).

3. Your first employer will do that for you (Well, to be accurate, they HAVE to). They will also get you your tax number - you'll pay emergency tax until you have it, though.

4. Not sure if you had to pay the NHS surcharge, but you can go to any A&E (accident and emergency) at any hospital and they have to help you by law, regardless. I'd advise you to also register with your local GP ASAP - they usually don't allow you to register at a GP other than your local one.

5. O2 went down recently - as did all the other networks that piggy back on their infrastructure. I'm on Vodafone and never had a problem. Shop around.

6. Not sure how you're getting around, but if you're in London, get an Oyster card. Can use it on all public transport in the city and surrounds.
 
Regarding no 3, NI, I had to travel down to Vauxhall to get a national insurance number myself. I never had a job when I first arrived. We needed the national insurance number to register with a GP. Btw, register with a GP asap. Don’t worry about how long you will stay wherever you first arrive. Switching GP is the easiest thing in the world.

For bank account, got an HSBC account easily through a company which I think is called FirstConnect, but they don’t appear to exist anymore. All you need is your visa, proof of identify and proof of address in the UK. I was able to use the address of a friend we where staying at. He wrote a letter confirming we stayed there. If you can get any corrospnodance with your name and the UK address on it, use that. Note this was 10 years ago, things do change. I would suggest you phone HSBC, Lloyds. The other banks, Barclays, Nationwide etc, are more iffy about you having to provide a utility bill as proof of address.
 
Mobile : Agree with Voicy, O2 are really bad. Worse customer service experience. I’m on BT. Works. I wouldn’t argue with Vodafone as an option.

Edit, get your UK drivers licence as soon as you can, even if you don’t have a car. Proof of ID in the uk is big deal, which is interesting since they don’t have ID documents. You can use your passport for the first 6 months, but it’s much easier to carry the drivers licence around.
 
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Pathologist friend has been living in New Zealand for 3 years and really likes it. He used to live in Cape Town

He wants us to come as retirees. The financial requirements are quite strict and I heard from the NZ immigration agency that they do not allow permanent retirees, I would have to leave and return at least every 3 years. A trip to Australia or the Solomon Islands would qualify
 
signates said:
Thanks zippy. Some good info.
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One more thing I’d add to what @zippy has said, as soon as you’re settled go into your local council and apply to get onto the electoral register (even as a commonwealth citizen with UK residence rights you can do so). It plays a big part in getting credit and also for ID verification.

Some of the newer banks like Starling Bank only do an ID check for a standard current account (they credit check properly only if you ask for an overdraft).

Edit, you can do it online now https://www.gov.uk/electoral-register
 
Dave said:
One more thing I’d add to what @zippy has said, as soon as you’re settled go into your local council and apply to get onto the electoral register (even as a commonwealth citizen with UK residence rights you can do so). It plays a big part in getting credit and also for ID verification.

Some of the newer banks like Starling Bank only do an ID check for a standard current account (they credit check properly only if you ask for an overdraft).

Edit, you can do it online now https://www.gov.uk/electoral-register
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Hi, I know that my post is not about emigration but does anyone out there know what as happened to that guy who posted great stuff about working in the Far East and places like Georgia. He was traveling with his wife and son. I keep checking for further posts but unsuccessful. Apologies for intruding.
 
signates said:
I will be applying for a Spousal Visa which costs about R29k.
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I didn't read through the whole thread, but don't get caught out here. Many years back I moved to the UK. I have Irish citizenship through foreign birth right. My wife, being a spouse of an EU citizen was entitled to a FREE 1 year spouse's visa. After a year she had to reapply, FREE OF CHARGE, in the UK, for indefinite leave to remain. The total cost was the courier fee to send her passport via courier to Pretoria for the initial visa. She was also quoted some ridiculous amount by an "agent"

People do yourselves a favor, in the UK there is The Citizen's Advice https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/ . All i did was phone them (or get a mate over there to do it for you), explain what I wanted and they told me EVERYTHING I needed to do as well as confirming the visa was FREE.

https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/i...ng-a-visa-for-your-partner-to-live-in-the-uk/
 
Dairyfarmer said:
I didn't read through the whole thread, but don't get caught out here. Many years back I moved to the UK. I have Irish citizenship through foreign birth right. My wife, being a spouse of an EU citizen was entitled to a FREE 1 year spouse's visa. After a year she had to reapply, FREE OF CHARGE, in the UK, for indefinite leave to remain. The total cost was the courier fee to send her passport via courier to Pretoria for the initial visa. She was also quoted some ridiculous amount by an "agent"

People do yourselves a favor, in the UK there is The Citizen's Advice https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/ . All i did was phone them (or get a mate over there to do it for you), explain what I wanted and they told me EVERYTHING I needed to do as well as confirming the visa was FREE.

https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/i...ng-a-visa-for-your-partner-to-live-in-the-uk/
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It's a slightly different process. EU spouse family permit cannot be applied for in the home country of the EU citizen. She can go to Rep of Ireland and I can then get the EU family permit there but the Brexit deadline of 29 March is too close for us to take up this option.

She is a UK citizen so I can only get the EU family permit if she is living in an EU country other than the UK.
 
@signates
If she is a UK citizen then you can apply for a FREE spouse's visa in Pretoria. That gives you a year. Towards the end of the year, while in UK, you can go to to Home Office (like our Home Affairs, just that it works) and apply of an indefinite leave to stay. Simple as that.

As far as Irish citizens are concerned, they maintain the same rights as UK citizens due to the CTA.
Established in the 1920s, the Common Travel Area allows British and Irish citizens to move freely and live in one another’s countries. Although it is recognised in EU treaty protocols, it is based on domestic legislation in Britain and Ireland which offer one another’s citizens greater rights than immigrants from elsewhere.

The CTA holds special importance to people in their daily lives: it goes to the heart of the relationship between these islands. The UK government is firmly committed to maintaining the CTA arrangements after the UK leaves the EU, an objective shared by the Crown Dependencies.

The Irish Government has been clear also in its commitment to the continuation of the CTA. The CTA has proven to be resilient over the years and would continue to endure if there is no deal
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